Merciless: One Without Mercy
by buffyandspike-4ever
Summary: Team Merciless is said to be the best. They live for the nightly training sessions, but even that has begun to lose their interest. When the two are recruited to bring Seimei in, will they finally find excitement? Read sum inside B4 u decide on this story
1. Chapter 1: Misson S

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Loveless, or any of the canon characters. The two main characters, my OC's, do belong to me though.

**Warnings:** None

**Summary:** The life of a Fighter Unit and her Sacrifice in the Seven Voices Academy. Team Merciless is said to be the best. They are unchallenged by the students of the school. The teachers praise them. They are the unquestionable favorite of Ritsu-sensei and even Nagisa, who despise Ritsu and his first prodigy Soubi, seems to genuinely like them. Even Nana will agree to leave her computer if it is Merciless making the request. But life at the Academy is just plain boring to these two. They live for the nightly training sessions and the occasional Battle Royals, but even that has begun to lose their interest. When the two are recruited, along with Zero and Breathless, to bring Seimei in, dead or alive, will they finally find the excitement that has been lacking in their lives? Will their Merciless nature be their biggest weapon or cause their greatest downfall?

**A/N: This was just something I was thinking up as I read the eighth volume and the beginning of the ninth. By the by, if you're in the U.S., and haven't read the eighth yet, you can find it at **http // shoku-dan. org/ index. php? page downloads #loveless** Just get rid of the spaces. Anyways, I don't know if this will become something big, if the summary will change, if it will just fizzle out like all my other ideas seem to do. Probably the latter, I warn you now. But until then, enjoy, because I really think there should be more OC team stories and definitely more about the Seven Voices Academy. I just love that place! I want to go there! Sigh, if only it were real. I'd love to be a Fighter, not a Sacrifice, cause I hate pain, but being a Fighter would be cool. **ponders** though I don't fancy being told what to do…**

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**Merciless: One without mercy

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Steam swirled around in the confined space of the small bathroom. Condensation formed on the mirrors and the blood red tile walls. A tiny, delicate toe gently tapped the surface of the bath water, testing its temperature. Satisfied, the entire foot submerged itself, then a leg, then another foot and leg, curvy hips, a flat abdomen, ample chest, and seemingly frail shoulders. Only a head, eyes closed, pouty lips pressed together, remained above the water, violet-blue hair piled in a messy bun atop it.

Sighing, Roan placed her arms on the edges of the white tub and rested her head back against the tiled wall. The scent of lilac wafted to her from the incense burning on the counter top. The hot water relaxed her muscles and the soft bubbles caressed her skin. She reveled in the peace and serenity of the moment, knowing that it would soon end. Night training at the Seven Voices Academy would begin in an hour or two and then all manner of hell would break loose. She had it on good authority that tonight would be a Battle Royal and that meant she had a lot of work ahead of her. Sometimes being a Fighter was such a pain.

As the heat and steam and incense calmed her mind, she lulled into a gentle sleep. She dreamt, the same dream she had dreamt for three years, of the first meeting between she and her Sacrifice. Though she had been only eleven years of age at the time, she could vividly recall the moment she set eyes on her destined owner, Ashiko Hinkajou. He had been fourteen at the time, tall for his age, with white blonde hair that fell into his blue, blue eyes and. She had been eleven, small and short and frail seeming, purply-bluish hair messy and awful looking from her attempt at cutting it herself, and green eyes burning bright from excitement. She had been eager and anticipatory, vivacious and practically bouncing in her Mary Jane's. He'd been calm, collected. He had had an aura of tranquility about him and she had known. She had known that here was the one who would own her, here was the one who would control and command her; finally, after waiting so long, here was the one she would belong to. She'd never been happier.

The beep of the speaker system coming on jolted her awake. "_Attention dorm residents_," the cool voice said.

"Oh shit!" Roan shrieked. "It can't be that time already!"

"_It is now 22:00_," the secretary's voice said at that very moment, almost as if directly to her, mocking her. "_This announcement will air only once. Please listen carefully and prepare. The following is tonight's training program. Begin with mission S, then move on to mission B. All those who finish mission S are to proceed to mission B. Everyone…begin_."

Roan frantically dashed about the bathroom, drying herself with a towel and putting on her undergarments before grabbing a scarlet silk bathrobe off the hook on the door and yanking it on. She pulled on a pair of black, equally silk (she was allergic to everything else, and that was the story she was sticking to, so long as Ritsu-sensei kept believing it) slippers and dashed out the door, wet hair smacking some poor innocent preteen in the face.

She could feel Ash calling to her and she closed her eyes, blocking out everything else, feeling in the darkness for her other half. There was a reason Team Merciless was said to be the best Seven Voices had seen since Beloved. It took her less than ten seconds to locate the exact location of her Sacrifice. It wasn't her best time, she noted absently, as she weaved through the numerous students searching for their other halves.

Dashing down the hall, she passed by the male half of Team Sleepless. Kin looked frantic; apparently, he was having a bit of trouble locating Ginka. _Ha,_ Roan thought to herself, _Ash and I have never had that problem. Guess that means I'm better than you Kin. _If only she had time to stop and say that to the bastard's face. She had always resented his willingness to use physical violence when magic didn't work. Why he couldn't just take defeat like a man was beyond her.

Two more turns and she caught sight of a familiar head of pale hair weaving toward her through the crowd. "Ash!" she yelled.

"Ro!" He skidded to a halt in front of her, grasping her hands.

"You're safe," she sighed.

"As are you," he panted. Running wasn't his strong suit, and that was okay, because they had never, and would never run from a fight.

"Let's go hunting!" they shouted together. Ash released Roan's left hand, holding her right firmly in his left, and took off down the hall, his Fighter right beside him where she belonged.

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**A/N: Short, I know, but it seemed an appropriate place to let off.**

**_Next time: Battle Royal! Some canon characters make an appearance and spoiler alerts!_**


	2. Chapter 2: Misson B and Intruder Alert

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Loveless, or any of the canon characters. The two main characters, my OC's, do belong to me though.

**Warnings:** None

**Summary:** The life of a Fighter Unit and her Sacrifice in the Seven Voices Academy. Team Merciless is said to be the best. They are unchallenged by the students of the school. The teachers praise them. They are the unquestionable favorite of Ritsu-sensei and even Nagisa, who despises Ritsu and his first prodigy Soubi, seems to genuinely like them. Even Nana will agree to leave her computer if it is Merciless making the request. But life at the Academy is just plain boring to these two. They live for the nightly training sessions and the occasional Battle Royals, but even that has begun to lose their interest. When the two are recruited, along with Zero and Breathless, to bring Seimei in, dead or alive, will they finally find the excitement that has been lacking in their lives? Will their Merciless nature be their biggest weapon or cause their greatest downfall?

**A/N: Ah! 15 hits and no reviews? What's wrong with you people? Please, please review. Let me know what you think. It's not that hard and it barely takes a minute or two so take the time. Please and thank you.

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**Merciless: One without mercy

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Bolting down the hallway with Ash at her side, Roan was thankful he hadn't asked about her clothes. She couldn't have bore the embarrassment. It was a rather revealing robe, not precisely meant to be worn during training, but what could she do.

As they ran, she kept constant note of her surroundings. She could sense a battle off to her left and the remnants of one to her right. As they passed, she glanced around Ash into the room on her right and saw what she expected. A young boy of no older than five lying on the ground in complete restraint, a girl only a year or so his elder hovering over him. As they ran by, she raised a hand and shouted, "_Release, straps of bondage, buckles of binding, discharge! _You two are out! As your sempai, I order you, return to your dorms!"

Though her true name was Merciless: One without mercy, and she would have left the child there in a heartbeat for the teachers to rescue, the look of agony on the young girl's face as she stood about, unable to free her soul mate, had done Roan in. She had no personal experience in that area, having never lost a battle, but she knew she would never want to be put through that. Ash was her everything, and she would hate feeling so useless, unable to help her Sacrifice as he was put through such torment. She glanced to her right, and found Ash looking at her. No words about the incident were exchanged as they continued their sprint through the corridors. No words were necessary. He knew her better than anyone, knew why she had done it; one look in his navy blue eyes was enough to tell her that.

Rounding the corner, the two skidding to a halt before they smacked into the back of a tall blonde man with glasses and bandages around his neck. "Agatsuma-san!" Roan shouted in surprise. The tall man turned around to face the two teens.

"Ritsu-sensei!" Merciless shouted, this time together, as they recognized the shorthaired older man behind Soubi.

Ritsu acknowledged them with a nod.

"Ah, little Roan-chan," Soubi said, staring down at the small girl. "You haven't gotten any taller since I last saw you. You were, what eleven when we last met, so you're fourteen now? Nice outfit, by the way. I see you've found your sacrifice," he added the last bit before she could explode about the comment about her attire and being called little. She _had _grown since she was _eleven_ dammit! Just...not much.

Roan blinked, her face losing its previous angry look. "Oh! Yes! This is Ash. Ash, this is Agatsuma-san," she said, turning to the blonde boy. "He's a fighter. He found his Sacrifice and left shortly before you arrived."

"Hello," Ash said, wrapping his arm around his Fighter's shoulders. Roan merely moved closer into the unnecessary sign of possessiveness.

"I'm sorry about Seimei," Roan said to Soubi. He 'hn'ed.

Roan turned to Ritsu. "Ritsu-sensei," she said. "Are the rumors true? About a Fighter being able to take more than one Sacrifice?"

"Hm," Ritsu said, removing his glasses to polish them. "Yes, in a manner. Only blank Fighter, a Fighter born without a name, can take on more than one name in a lifetime. You were born with the name Merciless, as was Ash. You can have no other."

"Good," Roan sighed, closing her eyes and burying her head in her Sacrifice's chest. "I don't want any other Master." Her tailed swayed happily as Ash wrapped his other arm around her, holding her body to his chest tightly. She was so short in comparison to him, it would've been comical if not for the very serious feeling in the air.

"Ah," Ai, whom Merciless had not noticed up to that point, broke the tension in the air, "Midori is calling me."

"If you can hear him go," Ritsu said. "Training has already begun."

"Yes sir," Air nodded, already sprinting off, "T-then Ritsu-sensei, you'll deal with that other person?"

"Yes," Ritsu confirmed.

"Hey, wait up, Ai!" Ash called out. "We'll come with you."

"We want a battle," Roan continued.

"Bye, Ritsu-sensei! We'll see you at the winner's chambers!" Merciless shouted back as they followed the Fighter Unit of Breathless.

"Confident, aren't they?" they heard Soubi ask.

"Found him yet, Ai?" Roan taunted, lightly. "Took me under a minute."

"Oh, shut up, skank," Ai snapped, the lack of viciousness in her voice causing the insult to loose some of its bite.

"She's got a point," Ash said. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"I was bathing and fell asleep. The announcement woke me up," Roan admitted. "Why? Jealous that other men will see me?" she jibbed, her black ears twitching it amusement.

Ash huffed, his white ears twitching in annoyance. "No."

"Right."

"Wait," Ash said, throwing his arm out to stop her running. Ai slowed as well. "Go on ahead and find Midori, Ai," the elder ordered. "We're going this way," he said, pointing down a hallway to the left.

"Okay."

When Ai was gone, the remaining Fighter turned to her Sacrifice. "What gives?"

"There's someone down this way I want to fight," Ash explained as the two walked leisurely down the dead end hallway to the classroom at the very end.

"Who?"

Before Ash could answer, they came to the open doorway of the classroom. What they found inside made Roan grin evilly. "Oh, hell yes," she whispered. "Have I mentioned you're the best Sacrifice _ever!_"

"Hm." Ash could put a lot of self-satisfaction into one syllable, she thought as she watched Kin and Ginka take down their opponents. When the two boys limped past her on their way out, Roan stepped forward and declared. "Sleepless! We challenge you to a battle by wordspell!"

Kin and Ginka whipped around. Upon seeing their proposed opponents, Ginka declared vivaciously, "We accept! Battle systems, engage!"

"Our name is Sleepless!" They declared. "We share one name! See the darkness of a sleepless night!"

Roan and Ash grasped hands. "Our name is Merciless. We share one name. Feel the ruthlessness of a predator without mercy!"

"_Fire, rage and blaze. An inferno of 10,000 degrees. Destroy the darkness!_" Roan roared. A blazing bright red fire erupted, shredding the encroaching blackness and dissipating the restraints that had begun to form around Ash's wrists. Ginka gasped as two identical chains and buckles appeared around her wrists.

"Ginka!" Kin shouted.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," she said, waving him off, the chains clinking about. "Get rid of the fire, Kin-chan!"

"Right. _Creeping darkness, empty blackness, smother the blaze! Entrap our enemy!"_

"Ro! Do it now!" Ash called as the restraint began to form once again around his wrist.

"Acknowledged! _Wind, slicing breeze of absolute ferocity! Shred the darkness, shower our enemy in the pain of one thousand wounds! Let no inch of skin go untouched!" _

"GYYYYYYAAA!"

"Ginka!"

Through the chains and straps and buckles of the complete restraint bound tight around Ginka's body, numerous wounds could be clearly seen, some short, some long, some deep, some shallow, some straight, some jagged. More than a few would leave permanent scars. Roan hadn't even spared Ginka's face.

"You bitch!" Kin hissed. Roan showed him her hand, the word 'MERCILESS' etched into her palm. He growled and darted forward, intent upon landing a vicious punch to her abdomen. Before the fist could connect, Kin was sent flying backwards and crashed into a row of desks, causing an awful lot of noise. Ash lowered his fist and glowered at the boy on the ground, a black circle already forming around Kin's eye.

"Don't touch my Fighter, you scum," Ash said, voice calm as ever, in direct contrast to the ferocity of his glare. Kin glared right back and moved over to Ginka's side. The girl lay on the ground, bound and bleeding, whimpering in pain each time a gust of the still dying breeze whipped across the tattered skin.

"You know our name," Roan said. "We are Merciless. You know how this battle will end. Do you forfeit, or would you like me to finish it now?"

"I-I," Kin sighed. He looked to Ginka. She was in no condition to command him, and she could clearly take no more. "We forfeit," he whispered, head hanging low. "What are the terms?"

"Merely that you get stronger," Roan answered. Kin's head shot up to look at her incredulously. "Yes, you heard me correctly. The conditions of your surrender are this: You are to train harder, become stronger. And then Sleepless and Merciless shall have another battle. You see, it's never fun to beat an opponent only once. If you beat someone once, they can argue that it was a bad day, or they weren't feeling well, or it was a fluke. If you can beat someone twice, we the same level of ease each time, then you and they both know, who is truly the victor. So get stronger. We'll do this again soon."

As the male half of Sleepless processed that, Ash turned to Ro. "Come on, Ro. There are better opponents to fight in this school than these two." He turned on his heel and left the room, Roan hot on his heels.

She paused in the doorway, one hand on the trim, and turned just slightly to look over her shoulder at the two teens on the floor. Ginka had been freed of the restraints and the blood spill from her wounds coated her skin. The true viciousness of Roan's attack could be fully appreciated without the chains in the way.

"You know," Roan said. Kin glanced up from his place kneeling beside Ginka. The Sacrifice of Sleepless also looked up at Roan, a pain filled grimace on her face. "I think you two just might be the worst we've ever fought. I see now why Soubi beat you so easily. I look forward to that next battle."

She dashed down the hall, leaving the two to wallow in their defeat and caught up with her Sacrifice. "So," she sighed. "That was boring. They didn't even manage to get one restraint fully formed."

Ash also sighed, his shoulder slumping. "I know. It's pathetic."

"Ash?" Roan questioned.

"Hm?"

"When...when are we gonna face someone who actually gives us a run for our money?" She sounded so open, so bared to the world. It reminded the seventeen year old that she was only fourteen, just a child really, still self-conscious and questioning her own worth. For all the world, you could never tell how vulnerable and unsure Roan really felt when she was battling. She put up the best front in the world; she was an expert actress. She showed off, and looked down on others, bragged and boasted. She put on a facade of surety and confidence, like nothing in the world could beat her. In battle, she lived up to her name, but in private, she was just a scared little kid looking to her Sacrifice for guidance. She might be able to fool the world, Ash thought to himself, but she could never hide anything from him.

"I don't know," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Soon hopefully. This place is getting beyond dull."

Before she could open her mouth to respond, a pulsing wave of energy tore through the school. "Kya!" she shouted, slamming her hands over her ears, as Ash did the same beside her. "What the hell?"

"That was a strong battle frequency," Ash noted, removing his hands from his ears as the vibration died off.

"What's going on?" Roan panicked.

"I don't—"

"_Attention all dorm residents. An intruder may have breached main security. Please take extreme caution._"

"An intruder?" Ash murmured.

"Is that even possible? How did he get past Nana's security?"

"_Battle with the intruder will not earn you training points_," the speaker continued. "_Avoid engaging the intruder in a confrontation. All students return to your rooms await further announcements." _

"Oh no," Roan muttered.

"This isn't good," Ash agreed. "Come on, we'd better go protect the younger students."

"Right," Roan nodded. The two took off down the hall, making their way through the empty school corridors to the dorms. Inside the dorms, pandemonium ensued. Everyone was terrified and panicking. Never in all its days had there been a breach in Seven Voices security.

As Merciless stood outside the glass doors of the dorm, a ringing permeated the silence kept by the sound proof doors. Roan reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "It's Nagisa-Sensei," she said, flipping the phone open. "Hello, Sensei?"

"_Roan!_" the panicked woman shrieked through the phone. "_Where are you?_"

"We're just outside the door to the dorms, Sensei," Roan answered.

"_Good. I need you to get the students into their rooms. After they're all in, lock the door to the dorms and report to me. Youji, Natsuo and I are in the west sector of the school, outside the staff rooms._"

"Hai, Sensei. We'll be there shortly. Stay safe, Nagisa-Sensei," Roan said.

"_You too. And hurry!_"

"Hai." Roan flipped the phone shut and slid it back into the pocket of her robe. Just as she turned to tell Ash about Nagisa's orders, everything went black. She sighed. "Why do the bad guys always cut the power? That's so cliché. It's like a B-rated horror movie."

"You know," Ash commented, flicking his blonde hair out of his eyes. "It's always the pretty girls in the revealing robes that die first."

"Har-har," Roan said, sarcastically. "Sigh. Come on, Sensei wants us to lock the kiddies up in their rooms, so we'd better go stay the panic before someone gets trampled."

"Right." Ash grasped the door handle and yanked it open. Because the students couldn't see who was opening the door, a resounding course of screams echoed throughout the hallway.

Roan covered her ears and shrieked, "SHUT UP, YOU MAGGOTS! IT'S MERCILESS!"

The silence was overwhelming. The entire school knew who Merciless was. Even if Roan hadn't identified them by name, the students in the dorm would have recognized her frustrated scream. It was a well-known fact that Roan hated loud noises.

She sighed. "Thank you."

"Ro," Ash said. "Some light, if you will."

"Affirmative. _Let the brightness of a dozen stars fill this space and destroy the darkness created by our enemies!_"

As light filled the hallway, Merciless took in the sight of several dozen bedraggled and frightened Academy students. Roan looked around and located a table by one wall. Grabbing it, she dragged it into the middle of the hall and climbed upon it, Ash beside her, to stare down at the little 'maggots'.

"Alright, listen up," Roan announced. "Get with your Fighter or Sacrifice and lock yourselves up in your room. I want two teams in every room. Do not, I repeat, _do not_ leave your other half's side. Those of you who have no Fighter/ Sacrifice yet, please make certain you have a functioning team with you at all times until further notice. To the working teams here, I'm leaving it in your hands to protect the Sacrifices and Fighters who have no other half yet, and thus cannot protect themselves. For your own protection, no one is to leave their rooms until further notice. The door to the dorms will be locked and barred. In the unlikely event that the intruder comes this way, you are given permission to blast the windows out. Please, if that happens, flee to the grounds and hide until further notice. You are, under none but the most desperate of circumstances, to engage the intruder in combat. Are these order clear?"

"Hai, Sempai!"

"Hai, Roan-sama!"

"Hai, Ro-tama-Sensei!"

Roan smiled down at the two small children who spoke the last one. She recognized them as team Painless, a pair of five-year-old twin boys, whom she and Ash had briefly taught for a few months. They were quite the anomaly, since Seven Voices hadn't ever had a pair of twins who shared the same name.

"Good." She nodded. "Now get going. Pair up and get to your rooms. Lock the doors. Go on! Get moving, now! That's an order!"

In less than three minutes, Roan and Ash were walking down opposite sides of the hallway, pulling on the handles of the closed doors to be certain they were locked. When they reached the end of the hallway, they switched sides and repeated their actions moving back up the passage.

"All locked," Roan confirmed.

"All locked," Ash agreed. "Let's go find Nagisa-Sensei. Where did she say they were?"

"The west sector, near the staff room," Roan told him as she turned her key in the lock and sealed off the entrance to the dorms. "You know, it truly pays to be the best. We're the only ones besides Ritsu-Sensei who have a skeleton key to the school."

"Hn. Let's go."

Unfortunately, the west sector of the school portion of the large complex was completely on the other side of the grounds from the dorms. Roan sighed. "If I catch this guy, I'll kill him, I swear," she panted. "This is so bothersome."

"But it's exciting, isn't it?" Ash huffed. "At least we're not bored."

"I'm gonna need another bath after all this running, dammit," Roan growled in aggravation.

"Can I—"

"No."

Shrug. "It was worth asking."

"Just shut up and run faster. Nagisa-Sensei might in danger."

"I thought I was the one that gave the orders?" Ash questioned.

Roan merely rolled her eyes. Honestly, some days that boy...but she wouldn't trade her Sacrifice for anything.

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_Next time: The Zeroes appear! Merciless has an unfortunate run-in with a certain supposedly dead catboy! Ritsu-Sensei makes Roan promise him something! Nagisa-Sensei looses her cool! And Nana willingly leave her computer!_


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